Future Predictions For Digital Audio

According to AdWeek audio will play a prominent role in the future of digital media consumption. So why is Digital Audio so hot? Consider these trends to keep an eye on in 2019 . . .

Streaming now accounts for 54% of all audio consumed in the US. The artists and songs played via stream are the same as what’s played on broadcast radio or downloads, but this internet-based distribution platform enables more listening occasions than ever.

Smart Devices are now a mainstay in all our homes. Many of these devices (especially voice-enabled smartspeakers like Amazon Echo, Google Home, and Apple HomePod), have become the go-to portals for in-home audio consumption.

Connected Car ownership is hitting the high speed lane. Today’s in-dash consoles are 4G (and soon to be 5G!) connected. Once the majority of us have a connected car in our driveways we’ll start to see a mass migration of in-vehicle audio consumption from broadcast radio to streaming.

Podcasting will do to the spoken word genre what streamers like Pandora and Spotify have done to the music side of audio. Today there are over 550,000 English-language podcasts, and almost half of Americans listen to at least one streamed podcast per month. I smell a tipping point coming.

Data is the common denominator which will drive Digital Audio as an advertising channel. All the above ways to listen to streamed audio require user registration – which means a data gold mine for marketers. Being able to “buy audio digitally” is the ultimate game-changer for this media channel, which will drive growth in the space during 2019 and for years to come.